“The situation has become a huge pressure for the whole family”: Nikita Efremov about his father’s prison term

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Earlier this week, 33-year-old Nikita Yefremov spoke with Kinopoisk about careers, politics, fears, and ways to deal with internal conflicts. After a terrible accident in the center of Moscow, which was arranged by his father, 58-year-old Mikhail Efremov, on June 8, 2020, pressure from the press and the public fell upon Nikita – he was forced to take sides, which negatively affected his psychological state. The actor even had to learn meditation to relieve emotional stress.

My father is in prison, the process was broadcast throughout the country, and it was a great experience for me, a shock. The situation has become a huge pressure for the family and for me: choose something, say, you must do this, you must do this, undress, refuse it or, on the contrary, agree. He must run to save him! No, he must recant! He must do this, he must do this … That was all in my head all the time, ”he admitted.

33-year-old Efremov did not immediately realize the scale of what had happened. As soon as the actor came to his senses, he immediately advised his father to repent and admit his guilt in the accident. It was hard for Nikita to concentrate and carry out the usual household chores, and he found salvation in work and meditation.

And how can I focus on carrying some kind of inner flashlight in this darkness? That’s why I’m doing meditation right now. It seems to me that the acting profession is similar to practice: it is important for actors to look into their own fears, into their problems and not look away,” the actor said.

Recall that on June 8, 2020 at 21:44, a terrible accident involving Mikhail Efremov occurred near house number 3 on Smolenskaya Square. His car crossed the solid road at full speed and drove into the oncoming lane, colliding with the Lada van. The driver of the van, 57-year-old Sergey Zakharov, died from his injuries and profuse blood loss the next morning at the Sklifosovsky Research Institute. A criminal case was opened against Efremov.

Almost all summer, the actor was under house arrest, was repeatedly summoned for interrogation, recorded a video message in which he talked about what had happened, but later refused to admit his guilt in court. Efremov changed his position several times on the latter issue, and only on September 3 did he finally confess. And on September 9, the guilty verdict was read to him. In addition to 8 years in a penal colony, the actor was also ordered to pay a fine of 800 thousand rubles in favor of the eldest son of Sergei Zakharov. In April last year, Mikhail Efremov gave his first interview from a general regime colony and spoke about his life in prison.

Nikita Efremov was last seen in public in mid-May at the premiere of the new series Patient Zero, in which the actor played the leading role.